Shelley is lost in a World once known as Aeden. The ancient Tree of Life is dying, and deadly Thornmen are hunting her.
Someone else has been waiting for Shelley. He asks to be her Guardian on a perilous quest to save Aeden.
The Thornmen are closing in as the Girl and the Guardian seek the faery refuge of Urak Tara.
In the terrible Valley of Thorns they make a daring - and fateful - pact...

In Volume One, "The Girl and the Guardian", Shelley Arkle ended up alone in the terrible Valley of Thorns, with only a half-crazed Third-lifer, the serpent Thornfoot, to help her. Now Thornfoot seems to be her only hope. But his idea for escape looks more like suicide to her…

Shelley is back on Earth, seeking the stolen Heartstone. A dithery Englishman is the only one who believes her story - or her sanity.
On Aeden Quickblade is in trouble. His only hope is the blue fungus addict Moonwit. The Boy Raiders are away on their most daring raid yet, while Shelley and Quickblade are driven to the bottomless Springs of the Wouivre, where even the Frozen Army can't help...

The fourth volume of the 'Apples of Aeden' epic. This is the first edition, replacing the beta version, now (22nd of February 2016) fully edited, with pictures and maps.
The War of the Heartstone comes to an end, and the long-awaited Diamond Age begins - for some...